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Do you ever feel like there are so many people weighing in on your slides and talking points that you’re actually presenting with your hands tied?

I recently worked with a client who was asked to present to the board of its Fortune 30 company. In preparation for his presentation, everyone from internal strategists to consultants from outside the company weighed in on what data and content he should share. This experience is common when an executive is preparing for a high-stakes presentation. Even product managers and sales reps are handed PowerPoints that they didn’t make, but they have to present. This makes the presenter feel strapped to the slides and tied to the words in the deck.

Instead of feeling like you have to read every word that was included on each slide or in the notes section, use your PowerPoint as a guide. Allow yourself to veer off where you want to. Here’s what I mean by that. Just because it’s not included in the slide deck doesn’t mean you can’t tell a story or share a bright spot about a particular set of data. This is how you can keep the focus on yourself even when your slides have a lot of words. In a high-stakes opportunity, you want to be memorable! So, grab a data point, share a story and move on. The next slide, do the same thing (or better yet, hit the B button or incorporate black slides into your deck).

Even if you’re not at that executive level, and someone adds content to your slides, making them too busy, do the same thing! Use it as a guide instead of a script.

The client I referenced at the beginning was later praised because he didn’t spend gobs of time going over every data point in the slide deck. The board appreciated that he added some humor and stories to all the data.

So, the next time your hands are tied, know that you don’t have to be Houdini to go where you want to with your presentation.

It happened again. Another case of PowerPoint abuse. This time the offender was House Speaker Paul Ryan—and we’re just waiting for an SNL skit on this one. ICYMI: Last week, he held a press conference to explain the newly proposed healthcare plan—a massively debated issue. And he used a PowerPoint … Continue reading →

It’s Thursday morning. You’re sitting in a meeting and trying to read from an overloaded PowerPoint and stay focused on the speaker. With every slide, it seems like more and more is packed onto the screen. Your eyes glaze over. It’s happened again – PowerPoint abuse. But it doesn’t have … Continue reading →

Ever get into the rut of doing what you’ve always done because it’s comfortable – or because it’s the way it’s always been done? I’m talking about presentations – specifically the ones where you use PowerPoint. We were reminded of this when a client recently shared that he led a … Continue reading →

You’re out to dinner with friends, and one of them is in the midst of telling a great story. She’s gesturing wildly, her intonation ebbing and flowing, her energy rising as the story builds. Just as she’s about to reveal the climax, here comes a waiter to cut her off … Continue reading →

I got sucked into a vortex again. If you’ve ever been on TED.com, you know what I’m talking about. You attempt to watch one talk (ranging from 2-18 minutes) and all of a sudden, you’re engaged in hours of thought-provoking, imaginative, and powerful presentations, and half your day disappears. Last … Continue reading →

What makes being a road warrior so rewarding? Being unexpectedly inspired. Week after week as a Program Leader for Decker, I’m traveling to train clients of vastly different industries. It’s fascinating to train such a variety, from engineers and marketing gurus to sales sharks and executives because oftentimes, core communication … Continue reading →

Using a PowerPoint deck soon? Remember: even when you’re using a slide deck in a presentation, you’re not a slave to it. Believe it or not, you can still break up the talk by utilizing other visuals. You can still walk to a different part of the room, away from … Continue reading →

May is PowerPoint abuse awareness month* and to kick it off, here’s the number one PowerPoint rule that can transform the way you present information to influence your listeners. (I’m using the blanket term PowerPoint throughout this post, but that encompasses any slide deck, like Apple Keynote, etc.) Use black … Continue reading →

Dan Heath has done a fantastic job putting together a series of vignettes on stickiness. Watch this clip on presentations that stick. Let me add on to Dan’s 3 tips with a few examples we’ve seen in our programs recently: 1. Be Simple: Force yourself to prioritize. Boil down your message … Continue reading →

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